The present invention relates to an activity device for small animals and more particularly to an activity device for hamsters, gerbils, mice and other small animals employing multiple rotating play elements.
All animals need exercise and mental stimuli to remain vibrant and healthy. Current small animal activity devices for hamsters, gerbils, mice and other small animals include hamster wheels, hamster balls, and multiple level cage systems. Such devices typically provide the animal with exercise while simultaneously providing the animal""s owner with enjoyment as he watches the pet play in the ball, wheel, or cage systems.
These conventional devices have existed in their present form for many years, and the field is ripe for a new approach to small animal activity devices. It is therefore the object of this invention to provide a new small animal activity device that provides small animals with improved physical exercise and mental stimulus while providing the pet owner with enhanced enjoyment as he watches his pet at play.
The small animal activity device of the present invention comprises a support member having a pivot and at least one arm mounted at its center to the pivot for rotation. Two play elements are in turn rotatably mounted on the arm on opposite sides of the pivot.
In a preferred embodiment, the support member is generally straight and projects generally vertically from a horizontal surface such as the bottom of a cage. In alternative embodiments, the support member may be mounted at various angles to appropriate supporting surfaces. Additionally, the support member need not be straight, but rather may provide a non-linear and even circuitous pathway for leading the small animals into the play elements.
In another preferred embodiment, the arm will comprise a plurality of arm segments of generally equal length projecting in opposite directions from the pivot. In this embodiment, play elements are rotatably mounted to the distal ends of the arm segments.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the interior of the support member includes a passageway for directing the small animals to the play elements. Indeed, in a particularly preferred embodiment the support member is tubular and the passageway comprises its interior. In either case, the passageway will have at least one portal near the base of the support member enabling the small animals to enter the passageway and at least one portal adjacent to the pivot enabling the small animals to exit the passageway onto the arm or to a play station. Additionally, it is preferred that the passageway include ribs to facilitate travel of the small animals through the passageway.
The play elements of the present invention include, for example, hamster playwheels or transparent hamster balls, rotatably mounted to the ends of the arm.
Finally, the activity device may include means for maintaining the arm in a fixed position. This may include mounting the arm to the support member with a threaded axle and fixing the arm place by tightening a wing nut.
The small animal activity device of the present invention is designed to be used with one or more small animals such as hamsters, gerbils, or mice. The small animals are physically exercised by climbing up the passageway, running between the play elements on the arm, and running in the play elements. Additional mental stimulation may be provided when more than one small animal uses the device. When multiple animals are present, each animal must navigate the passageway and cross the arm in the presence of other animals.
The small animal activity device of the present invention also provides the pet owner with enhanced enjoyment over previously available pet exercise devices. The pet owner is able to watch his pet become more active in the presence of the multiple forms of physical and mental stimulus the device provides. Additionally, when multiple pets are using the device and the arm is unlocked, the member will orbit or teeter back-and-forth.